High-traction house slippers

ABSTRACT

A backless house shoe comprising a foot-receiving top portion and an oppositely disposed sole portion, wherein the sole portion is at least two centimeters thick rubber vehicle tire, wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of trucks and tractors; wherein the sole portion defines a plurality of spaced treads; wherein the depth of a respective spaced tread is at least two centimeters; wherein the width of a respective spaced tread is at least one centimeter; wherein the sole portion is at least three centimeters thick; wherein the backless house shoe disengages from a wearer&#39;s foot upon experiencing traction; and wherein the sole portion includes a member of the group consisting of chains, studs, sipes, and combinations thereof. The sole portion engages the ground with tread patterns at least about two centimeters deep, and is unsuited and impractical for outdoor wear as the treads will grippingly engage the ground while the house show offers no back heel engagement, thus the slipper will become easily stuck in the ground and disengage from a wearer&#39;s foot when worn outdoors and experiencing traction from engagement with muddy ground, ice, or the like.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/845,301, filed Apr. 10, 2020.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present novel technology relates generally to the manufacture of shoes. In particular, this invention relates to a house slipper having soles made of heavy-duty tire treads, and method for manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

The decision to replace used tires on an automobile may have more negative effects than anticipated. Typically, old tires are either incinerated or sent to landfills. However, these strategies have proven to be harmful for multiple reasons. Burning old rubber tires releases toxic chemicals into the air, poisoning and polluting the environment and potentially further contributing to the destruction of the ozone. Additionally, tires are not biodegradable and as such tend to stack up over time, ultimately occupying tremendous amounts of space when consigned to a landfill. Old tires also become breeding grounds for bothersome creatures, such as rats, mosquitos, and the like. While recycling extends the life of the tire, harmful destruction of the tire is inevitable as even recycled tires cannot last forever. Thus, there is need for an alternate use of discarded tires. The present novel technology addresses this need.

In addition to providing an efficient alternative to reducing tire waste, the novel gift market could be served by this technology. The soles of the slippers are oversized to the point of comical exaggeration. These slippers should not be considered for functional purposes, as they are unsuitable for outdoor wear as they are open to water and mud and provide no mechanism for staying on the foot when the sole encounters a modicum of traction, but rather as a gag-gift idea for a friend, family member, co-worker or anyone in the market for receiving a gift. These slippers do not provide a heel-strap to prevent the shoe from falling off while walking through rough terrain. This feature further emphasizes that the purpose of these slippers—which contain comically exaggerated shoe soles—are meant to provide comic relief and do not otherwise serve the purpose of providing traction or protection from the elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a heavily treaded house slipper according to the present novel technology.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the slipper of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the slipper of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the slipper of claim 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an even more heavily treaded house slipper according to the present novel technology.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the slipper of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the slipper of FIG. 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the novel technology and presenting its currently understood best mode of operation, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the novel technology is thereby intended, with such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the novel technology as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the novel technology relates.

The novel technology shown in FIGS. 1-6 illustrate embodiments of the present novel technology, house slippers 100 having comically exaggerated tire tread soles no. The house slipper body 100 has a foot-receiving portion 105 and a sole portion 110 affixed thereto. The foot receiving portion 105 includes a foot covering portion 106 that is connected to and extends from a base 107. The foot receiving portion 105 is typically made of a soft cushioned material, such as a fabric-backed foam, plush fabric, thick terry cloth, or the like, and is typically covered in a microfiber material. The foot covering 106 of the foot receiving portion 105 encloses the top of the foot and toes, while leaving the heal exposed, and allows a person to easily slide the slipper on and off their foot. The foot base 107 of the foot receiving portion 105 provides a cushioned surface for the user's feet.

The oppositely disposed sole portion no is typically formed from a rubber tire, more typically from a heavy-duty, off-road, and/or all-terrain truck tire or tractor tire, and thus has an outer or floor-engaging tire tread surface 120. In some cases, the sole portion 110 is steel-belted. The sole portion no includes a relatively flat surface 125 disposed opposite the tread-surface 120 that may be securely attached to the base 107 via a durable adhesive material 121, such as a welt, flexible cement, shoe glue or the like.

Typically, the sole portion 110 has a tread depth of at least 5 millimeters and more typically at least 1 centimeter, and still more typically of 2 centimeters; a tread width of at least 5 millimeters, more typically at least 1 centimeter, and more typically at least 2 centimeters; and tread thickness of at least 1 centimeters, more typically at least 2 centimeters, and still more typically at least 3 centimeters, and yet more typically of at least 4 centimeters, although other tread designs, dimensions, and patterns may be selected. The sole portion no typically weighs about 0.5 kg, more typically about 1 kg, still more typically about 2 kg, yet more typically about 2.5 kg and may even weigh 3 or more kg. FIG. 4 is a side view of the high-traction house slipper 100 that illustrates the size of the comically exaggerated sole portion no in comparison to the foot receiving portion 105. The sole portion no may include tire features such as sipes, studs, chains, and combinations thereof.

In operation, a wearer would slip his feet into the slippers 100 and wear them around the house. The wearer would not wear such slippers outside, especially in wet or muddy conditions, because the slipper 100 provides no protection form the elements and further because the tread surface 120 would engage wet or muddy ground and the wearer would slip out of the backless slippers 100. In other words, the slipper 100 would become stuck in the mud and the wearer's forward stride/momentum would disengage the wearer's foot from the slipper 100 because it is without a heel engaging strap, member, or other apparatus to hold the wearer's heel in the slipper 100. The slippers 100 are suited for indoor wear only, and the deeply treaded surface 120 is thus a source of ironic humor and not actual useable traction for the wearer. Unlike tires, any attempt to push forward when the slipper 100 is experiencing traction would disengage the slipper from the wearer; the traction available form the soles 100 is thus a detriment and not a useful feature of the slippers 100 when walking through mud, on ice, and the like.

The novel article of footwear includes an anterior portion 135, a posterior portion 140 and a shock-absorbing tread portion 145. In one embodiment, the anterior portion 135 and the posterior portion 140 are manufactured as one piece to create the upper portion of the claimed article of footwear. The upper portion 105 may be used to facilitate capture and holding of a wearer's foot within the hemispherically-shaped portion 160, so long as the slipper 100 does not experience any appreciable traction. The hemispherically-shaped portion 160 is typically made of a soft cushioned material, such as a fabric-backed foam, plush fabric, thick terry cloth, or the like, and is typically covered in a breathable microfiber material. The bottom portion 110 of the article of footwear 100 may be substantially covered with and in continuous contact with the shock-absorbing portion 145. The shock-absorbing portion 145 is typically formed from tire tread and, when worn, is generally in contact with the floor. The shock-absorbing portion 145 can ideally be divided into two portions: the toe portion 150 and the heel portion 155.

While the novel technology has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe all such embodiment variations in the present specification. Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the novel technology are desired to be protected. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A backless house slipper comprising a foot-receiving portion and an oppositely disposed sole portion, wherein the sole portion is at least two centimeters thick rubber truck tire, wherein the sole portion defines a plurality of spaced treads, and wherein the backless slipper disengages from a wearer's foot upon experiencing traction.
 2. The backless house slipper of claim 1 wherein the sole portion weighs about two kilograms.
 3. The backless house slipper of claim 1 wherein the sole portion weighs about three kilograms.
 4. The backless house slipper of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is directly attached to the foot-receiving portion.
 5. The backless house slipper of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is recycled from a truck tire.
 6. The backless house slipper of claim 1, wherein the depth of a respective tread is at least two centimeters, the width of a respective tread is at least one centimeter, and the sole portion is at least three centimeters thick.
 7. The backless house slipper of claim 1, wherein the sole portion defines a plurality of sipes.
 8. An article of footwear comprising: an anterior portion and a posterior portion that are operationally connected to a shock-absorbing treaded portion; wherein the shock-absorbing treaded portion further defines a heel portion and a toe portion; wherein the shock-absorbing treaded portion includes a plurality of spaced treads; wherein the anterior portion defines a hemispherically-shaped portion that covers approximately half of an individual's foot including toes; and wherein the article of footwear disengages from a wearer's foot upon experiencing traction.
 9. The article of footwear of claim 8, wherein the hemispherically shaped portion is comprised of fabric-backed foam operationally connected to the toe portion of the shock-absorbing tread portion.
 10. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the posterior portion is open to accept insertion of the individual's toes and leaves the individual's heel exposed.
 11. The article of footwear of claim 8, wherein the shock-absorbing treaded portion is at least three centimeters thick, and wherein the respective spaced treads are at least two centimeters thick.
 12. The article of footwear of claim 8, wherein the respective spaced treads are at least spaced one centimeter apart.
 13. The article of footwear of claim 8 wherein the shock-absorbing treaded portion further comprised a member of the group consisting of chains, studs, sipes, and combinations thereof.
 14. A backless house shoe comprising a foot-receiving top portion and an oppositely disposed sole portion, wherein the sole portion is at least two centimeters thick rubber vehicle tire, wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of trucks and tractors; wherein the sole portion defines a plurality of spaced treads; wherein the depth of a respective spaced tread is at least two centimeters; wherein the width of a respective spaced tread is at least one centimeter; wherein the sole portion is at least three centimeters thick; wherein the backless house shoe disengages from a wearer's foot upon experiencing traction; and wherein the sole portion includes a member of the group consisting of chains, studs, sipes, and combinations thereof. 